Contrasting Urban & Resource in Seattle-Vancouver Megaplex, North Pacific Coast, Papers of Geography of the U. S.

Download Contrasting Urban & Resource in Seattle-Vancouver Megaplex, North Pacific Coast and more Papers Geography of the U. S. in PDF only on Docsity! 1 The Regions of North America The North Pacific Coast The Northlands North Pacific/Northlands Key theme for this week: contrasts Contrasts in terms of two key elements – 1. Population (dense, sparse) – 2. Resources (supply, demand) Home to a regional population of over 5 million people (about the D FW)same as - 2 In North America, the central city population density of downtown Vancouver is second only to New York City Vancouver also has a vast and rapidly-growing suburban zone extending inland along the Fraser River Seattle is the largest city in the Pacific Northwest Seattle’s diverse economy is driving rapid growth: Microsoft, Boeing, Costco, Starbucks, eBay, and Weyerhauser all call the region home The Seattle-Vancouver megaplex contrasts with an interior with few people and wide open spaces The Seattle-Vancouver megaplex contrasts with an interior with few people and wide open spaces 5 View of the modern container port area from downtown Seattle The downtown waterfront is re-orienting towards services Vancouver New container port False Creek (old industrial area) Downtown Vancouver’s modern container port area seen from downtown False Creek – just south of downtown False Creek – just south of downtown 6 The seawall and downtown Vancouver Resource Contrasts Another contrast we see in the region is in resources – The region is rich in resources, but the major markets for these resources are far away – Lewis and Clark’s expedition explored the Pacific Northwest region in 1805-1806 – Didn’t note much in terms of resources for export (minerals, agricultural potential) because of the region’s remoteness – They thought, “why bother?” Resource Contrasts Another contrast we see in the region is in resources – Can think of the region’s resources in a traditional sense (oil, gas, lumber) • These have been developed extensively, but later than in many other parts of North America (again, influence of vast distances to markets) – Can also think of resources more broadly (scenic beauty, wildlife, natural preserves) Much of the world “tourist market” lives far from Alaska’s national parks and wildlife refuges Resource Contrasts View a video case study now that explores resources and the regional issues of the north – Case Study: “Alaska, the Last Frontier?” – A look at attempts to balance the needs of the Native Americans and the wilderness with economic development and modern life – Note the issues you see and the region’s outlook for the future